In awe, the first time you realized it
by aheartmadefullmetal16
Summary: In response to an anon prompt on tumblr. It's been years since Roy and Riza first met, and they've been inseparable since the first kiss. Roy is nearing the end of his apprenticeship, and there's something Riza says that surprises them both. Oneshot, young!Royai, set pre-canon.


_**A/N:** In response to an anon prompt on tumblr. The prompt list this came from is the same on as "Loud, so everyone can hear". This takes place in the middle of my submission for day 1 of Royai Week, which can be found on my main page._

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Riza sinks into Roy's embrace, welcoming his warmth and gentility, relishing the feeling of her skin against his. The water glimmers with the light of the setting sun, reflecting its gentle pinks and blazing oranges. Off in the distance, tiny ripples emanate from under the water, and Riza smiles; the turtles love this time of day. Ever since she was little, Riza has loved watching the turtles poke their noses out of the water and descend again to the depths of the lake. As a child the idea of carrying your home with you always appealed to her. It wasn't like Riza's family ever moved around; in fact, she had grown up in the exact same house her entire life. But there was always the nagging notion of leaving home, and in Riza's young mind that feeling had not boded well with her.

Roy laughs, the noise pleasantly rumbling in his chest, and Riza notices that she had spoken her last few thoughts aloud. "Sorry," she says, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She smiles, an uncharacteristic giggle suddenly bubbling up from her throat. "I didn't know I was talking out loud."

"It's alright," Roy replies, and kisses her forehead. "I think it's cute when you ramble off like that."

"Ah, so now I'm rambling?" Riza laughs, and turns around to face him. His black hair is mussed from the wind, and his dark eyebrows are quirked in a smirk over his sparkling eyes.

"Well, considering you just spent two minutes talking about turtles and your younger years, I'd say your usual habit of boggling my mind with existential questions has made quite the disappearance," he replies, a laugh leaning against his wonderfully rich voice.

"Existential questions, hmm?" Riza replies, brushing his hair back into place and stealing a kiss. "Well how about this one- why are certain people so sure they're right about everything, even without proper evidence?"

At this Roy explodes with laughter, unable to keep the snickering at bay. He laughs fully and truly, throwing his head back and clutching his middle, and Riza falls desperately in love with the sound all over again. In the half light Roy's face is highlighted perfectly, and Riza simply marvels. Ever since Roy had first stepped into the Hawkeye household, Riza was more than a little surprised at how handsome and different this city boy was. _Don't get involved,_ she had insisted to herself, because she knew that none of Father's apprentices ever stayed for long. They were always the same- rude, insistent, and bossy. Her father would consequently kick them out within their first few weeks. But Roy had defied those odds, and had been there for almost two years now. And in that time, he'd managed to pluck her right out of her shell, all while being incredibly kind and courteous. Riza had seen him at every facet of his emotions- inexplicably angry, unbearably sad, overwhelmingly joyful and more, but she had to say, this side of Roy was her favorite. The way his eyes sparkled and his nose crinkled when he laughed made a giddy smile stretch across her face. The dying sun illuminated his eyes with tints of brown, and the words were tumbling out of her mouth before Riza could register them.

"I love you."

She stopped dead, suddenly very unsure of herself. _Did I mean to say that? Did I mean that literally?_ Riza panicked, sure her face had gone cherry red. _I mean… I've known him for two years, and we've gotten very close over that time… it certainly wouldn't be wrong of me to say I love him, would it?_

Roy's expression was peculiar; he looked surprised, and the smile from before was slowly fading. _Oh no,_ Riza thought, panicking again. _He must think I'm completely crazy-_

"You do?" Roy asked, his voice hesitant and quiet.

Riza pondered this for a moment, weighing her options, and concluded, "Yes, Roy. I love you."

That smile she loved and adored broke across his face like the sunrise, and he kissed her, hard. A myriad of emotions jumbled around inside Riza- relief, confusion, anticipation, love, and shock. _What does this mean? Does he feel the same way? What did I do?_

Finally, cheeks flushed and heartbeats racing, they pulled away from one another. Roy presses his forehead against hers for just a moment, and then looks her directly in the eyes. Riza is almost scared by the certainty and intensity his face holds, but she matches his stare, locking her eyes on his despite her nervousness.

"I love you, too, Riza," Roy replies, and Riza's heart simply bursts in her chest.

As Roy leans in to kiss her ever so gently, Riza can't help but think once more, _How lucky am I?_

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 _ **A/N:** Leave a review! :)_


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